Back In 'Bukuro
by nekoer
Summary: The city is full of many confusing things. There are color gangs in every corner, love in the center,and people who just want to get by standing on the outskirts, People stuck in the past, and others hurrying towards the future. Shizuo X OC
1. Back In 'Bukuro

**Ah, I own nothing but my OC. Please enjoy! I hope you like Hakari, because I really like her!**

Muto Hakari is your average woman, or so it appears on the outside. Hiding behind her normal appearance, she scouts Ikebukuro, looking for something. No, someone. Desperately looking for golden hair, she spots the next best thing. A dark green hat. Kadota Kyohei stood looking down at two male high schoolers, both wearing blue school uniforms. Erika and Walker were at his side.

A giant smile spreads on Hakari's face as she makes her way to the small group outside of Russia Sushi. As she got closer, she notices Erika spot her. The other woman grew a giant grin, matching Hakari's.

"Dota-chin! Look, it's Hakari-san!"Erika points in Hakari's direction, causing all the males to look. Walker's face lights up like a Christmas tree. He begins waving frantically.

"Yo! Hakari-san!" Walker shouts. Hakari waves back, picking up her pace. Kyohei looks at her as if she isn't real. When she finally reaches the small group, Erika tackles the other woman into a tight hug.

"I've missed you too, Erika!" Hakari says, hugging the girl back. Next it was Walker's turn. His hug wasn't as tight as Erika's, but it was filled with just as much love. "Aw, Walker!"

Erika and Walker exchange looks of bliss before looking at Kyohei expectedly. Kyohei just continues to stare at Hakari, still disbelieving.

"Don't look at me like I'm an alien, Dota-chin," Hakari says. The two high school boys just observe the scene before them, not knowing what to do.

"It's really you, eh?" Kyohei asks.

"In the flesh!" Hakari replies, giving him her biggest smile yet. Kyohei wraps one of his hands around the woman's head, and pulls her into a bone crushing hug.

"Didn't think we'd see you around here anymore," He whispers.

"I couldn't possibly leave for good, Kyohei," Hakari whispers back, returning the death hug. After a few moments, Kyohei finally releases her.

She turns to the two high school boys and gives them a little wave. One of them stands up quickly, bowing to her. His black hair flowing ever so slightly.

"M-My name is Ryugamine Mikado."

"Mikado…" Hakari whispers. The boy looks up at her, staring at her as if he is in a daze. The other boy finally stands up.

"I'm Kida Masaomi. You're pretty cute, think we can exchange numbers?" He says, but Hakari isn't listening. She's focusing on the young Mikado. Crimson creeps onto Mikado's cheeks as the woman stares him down.

"U-Uhm…" The boy says, looking anywhere but at her. Snapping back to reality, Hakari shakes her head. Everyone stares at her.

"Oh, sorry. My name is Muto Hakari. It's a pleasure to meet both of you." Hakari introduces herself with a small bow.

"What brings you back to 'Bukuro?" Kyohei asks.

"I just missed everyone so much!" Hakari squeals, pulling Erika and Walker back into a hug. The two laugh at the woman, reluctant to leave her embrace. Kyohei smiles at her.

"I'm sure _he'll_ be glad you're back. He was really depressed when you left." Kyohei says.

"Ah, he's a big boy. I'm sure he managed fine." Hakari sneaks another glance at Mikado. Said boy meets her eyes and starts to blush.

"Ah, Yumach! The time!" Erika suddenly shouts. This causes Walker to check his watch.

"Oh no! We'll be late!" Walker shouts.

"Sorry, Hakari. We're gonna be late for the book signing. We'll catch up more later!" Erika briefly explains. The pair shares one last hug with Hakari before dragging Kyohei away to a book signing.

"What? Wait, I didn't get another hug!" Hakari hears Kyohei shout. A giggle escapes her mouth.

"Oh, Dota-chin," She whispers. Behind her, Mikado clears his throat. This causes Hakari to face him.

"What is it?" She asks.

"Ah, well we should probably get going," Mikado says.

"Why don't you walk with us?" The other boy, Masaomi, asks. He smiles flirtatiously at Hakari. She's not interested in high-school boys in that way, but she was interested in Mikado for a different reason.

"Sure," Hakari agrees, smiling innocently back.

The trio began walking down the streets of Ikebukuro. The blond one, Kida Masaomi talked about random things and threw around terrible pick-up lines. The only time he stopped talking was when he addressed other women for their numbers.

"He's not going to have much luck hitting on women over twenty," Mikado says when Masaomi was off hitting on someone.

"Yeah, most women don't like high-school students due the immaturity." Hakari agrees.

"Then, why'd you come with us?" The boy asks.

"Because of you."

"M-Me? I'm not interesting at all! I'm really lame and stuff…" Mikado trails off, causing Hakari to giggle.

"Say, have you heard of the Dollars?" She asks him. Mikado glances at her through the corner of his eye.

"They're a colorless color gang, right?" He asks her.

"I wonder…" Hakari trails off. Mikado turns his whole face to her now, trying to read her.

"What do you-" But he was cut off by Kida Masaomi.

"Man, these chicks are missing out big time," the boy complains. Hakari just smiles at him. They walk for a little while more in complete silence, until Mikado stops dead in his tracks. The other two look at the boy.

"What's wro-" Masaomi starts, but Mikado shuts him up.

"Listen," He says, motioning for the other two to peer into the alley. They did.

Four girls occupied the alley. Three of them looked like upperclassmen at a high school, but they were dressed ridiculously. One had pink hair, and they all three had wings on their school uniforms. A girl with short black hair and glasses stood in front of them, looking somewhat scared.

"So, you're still walking around trying to act all hot, even though Mika's gone?" One of them asks the girl in glasses.

"And now you're the class rep?" Another asks.

"Whoa, check it out. That chick is totally getting bullied," Masaomi states.

"But those other girls are more funny than scary," Mikado says.

"You know her boyfriend is with the dollars," One of the girls says.

Mikado and Hakari both gasp, looking at the situation with a different perspective.

"Hiroshi!" Another girl calls.

A man in yellow hoodie comes out from the other side of the alley. He flips his hood up and starts to spout some kind of nonsense.

"Dollar member? More like a thug wannabe," Hakari says.

"You gotta love a guy who goes for the classics," Masaomi adds.

Hakari notices Mikado go into a deep thought. She tilts head, trying to come up with what he could possibly be thinking.

"Bullies huh? You wanna save the day, don't you?" An all too familiar voice breaks through Hakari's thought process. Her head snaps up, along with Masaomi's. A man stood behind them. A man named Orihara Izaya.

Hakari stares at him in awe as Masaomi stares at him in fear mixed with anger.

"Uh, well..I- What are you-" Mikado starts, but Izaya pushes him into the crowd. The girls begin bagging on Izaya's age as he begins lecturing them about bullying and human beings. Hakari didn't really pay attention through the whole thing, she was busy putting her focus on Orihara Izaya.

At some point, the trio had moved out of the alley, accompanied by Izaya and the girl that was getting bullied.

"Man! That was truly impressive! Trying to save the girl from bullies?" Izaya says. The girl and Mikado look at each other, sharing a blush.

"So, Masaomi. It's been awhile." Izaya turns his attention on Kida Masaomi. The feeling of jealousy erupts inside Hakari. It's like Izaya was ignoring her purpose.

"Yeah, it has." Masaomi replies.

"That's a Raira Academy uniform, right? Good job on getting in."

"Oh, right thanks. I didn't expect to see you, Izaya. You're not normally in Ikebukuro."

"So this is the Orihara Izaya I'm absolutely not to piss off?" Mikado bursts out. Izaya smirks towards the cowardly boy.

"Oh, sorry! This guy's just a friend," Masaomi says.

"Hmm. I am Orihara Izaya. You are?" Mikado bows and introduces himself. Izaya says something about an air conditioner. Jealousy still swarms inside Hakari. Even though Izaya made fun of his name, it's still better than being ignored.

Hakari lets out a loud, dramatic sigh, letting Izaya know she's there. This earns her a chuckle from him.

"Impatient as always, Haka-chan. I see you, don't worry." Izaya turns his gaze back to his old time friend. "How have you been?"

Hakari's face lights up when he finally acknowledges her. She doesn't answer his question, but just smiles at him.

"I've missed you, Hakari. Are you going to tell me why you left?" He asks, looking thoughtfully at her. Hakari's smile drops, as she cautiously answers him.

"No," She whispers.

"What a shame," Izaya says as he stares at her. "I have my suspicions, so those will do in the mean time. I'm guessing the reason your back is the same reason I came to 'Bukuro today, am I right?"

Hakari glances at Mikado. "Bingo."

Out of nowhere, a convenient store trash can comes flying at Izaya. He falls to the ground. Everyone gasps.

"Holy shit," Masaomi mutters. Hakari quickly hides behind Mikado.

"Hakari, what are you-"

"Sssh, don't say my name." She orders. Mikado gulps.

"Well, well, well. What's up, Izaya?" A loud voice says. Everyone turns to see Heiwajima Shizuo walk towards them. "Didn't I tell you never to set foot in Ikebukuro again? You remember that, don't ya?"

"Shizu-chan," Izaya mutters. Izaya glances at Hakari and chuckles a bit. "Last I heard, you working some gig by the West gate," He says a bit louder.

"Heh, got fired ages ago. And, I'm pretty sure I told you never to call me that. My name's Heiwajima Shizuo, try to get it right."

Hakari feels Mikado gasp. She listens to Shizuo's voice, longing to hear him call her name. Oh how she misses him, her heart begins to ache.

Hakari didn't focus on the rest of the conversation, just on the sound of Shizuo's voice. _Truly angelic_ she thought. She could hear his low growls. In the midst of Hakari's listening, she heard a metallic sound and a scream. She moves away from Mikado to get a better look. Some douchebag had hit Shizuo over the head, causing blood to drip down his whole face.

"Shizuo!" She yells in a panicked voice. Shizuo's head jerks up at the familiar sound.

"Hakari," He whispers.

He takes a step towards her, momentarily forgetting the idiots behind him and the flea that he so desperately wants to squish. But, the more steps Shizuo took towards the women he hasn't seen in years, the same amount of steps she takes away from him.

"Shizuo," she whispers. "I-I have to go." With that, she ran away from the man she loves. She ran away from the terrible scene. She ran to the safest place she knew. Shinra's home.


	2. Nostalgia

**Uh, so I just wanted to get this out real quick, just to give you an idea of Hakari's past relationships with Shizuo, Shinra, and Celty. I will be getting more into the plot in the next few chapters, possibly the next one. (Hopefully) Ah, be expecting the next update to be a few days after Christmas, this is a promise. I swear on my old Mountain Dew can's grave. So, enjoy~**

Shinra didn't know what to expect when he opened the door. It was Ikebukuro, and a lot of weird people show up at his door for various reasons. Usually, he's never surprised. Usually. This time a young woman with dark brown eyes and long hair to match stood in front of his door, huffing and puffing like mad. Not just any woman, his long time friend who suddenly vanished four years ago stood there. So of course he invited her in.

Moments have gone by. Now the two are just sitting at his table quietly. Gratitude ran through Hakari's mind. With the silence, she had time to catch her breath. Shinra, on the other hand, is a little shaken up.

"I can't believe it," He whispers. Hakari looks at him and smiles.

"Believe it." Hakari says. "How are you? How is Celty?"

"We're doing fine. Why are you back?" Shinra asks, his voice filled with sadness. "I thought...You left for good. You didn't tell anyone." Shinra looks away from her.

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry to come home so suddenly," Hakari begins. Shinra's head snaps up at the word home. It's no secret that Hakari hated 'Bukuro, but to call it home…

"You see," The woman continues. "I've recently joined a group."

"A group?" Shinra questions.

"Yes, a group."

"What is this group about?"

"It seems to have different meanings to it. I came to 'Bukuro to meet someone today. I honestly didn't intend to run into so many people I knew. I wanted to see Shizuo, but when I finally did I ran to you." Hakari's smile grows larger...and sadder. Shinra props his elbow up on the table, giving his head a nice rest.

"It can't be helped. Celty will be happy to see you. Did you find who you were looking for?" Shinra asks. Hakari nods

"I did. He's different than I imagined. He's weak and fragile."

"Why did you want to meet him?" Shinra gets up and walks over to his stove. He begins to pull out a pot.

"I just needed to." The sound of running water fills Hakari's ears as Shinra fills the pot.

"Do you still like Oolong tea?" Shinra asks.

"I love it." The clanging of metal on metal dances through the apartment, giving the friends a nostalgic feeling.

"Gonna tell me where you've been?" Shinra ask, leaning on the dark counter top.

"America," Hakari admits. For some reason, she's always been able to tell the truth to Shinra, even when it wasn't necessary.

"A-America?!" Shinra jumps. "What for?!"

"To get away, Silly." Hakari leans back in her chair. Her head looks to the ceiling. "It's really amazing over there. There's this small town I went to, it reminded me of Shizuo. He used to tell me how much he wanted to go to America. I want to take him someday, if he ever forgives me. Also if I get the courage to face him."

A warm smile spreads across Shinra's face. He has always liked the way Hakari talked lovingly about Shizuo. Everyone else sees him as a monster, but Hakari sees him as a prince. As a _human._

_Bang. Bang._

Hakari's eyes whip to the door. Shinra leaves his post at the counter to make his way towards the door.

Hakari intertwines her fingers, gingerly twiddling her thumbs. She waits anxiously for Shinra to return, praying to _something_ that it's not Shizuo at the door. Her eyes close as the woman hears footsteps approach her.

"You can take it easy, it was just a delivery," Shinra laughs. Hakari's eyes snap open. Shinra lazily drops a small package onto the table.

"I should have know it wasn't Shizuo...he was in the middle of a fight."

"Oh?" Shinra asks, pouring two glasses of Oolong tea.

"Yes, he saw Izaya. Then a bunch of kids attacked him."

"Ah, I see. With Izaya in the picture, there's no way he'd leave the scene."

"Thank you," Hakari says as Shinra hands her a glass of tea.

"No problem. I texted Celty earlier about your arrival. She'll really be so happy." Hakari sends Shinra a big, genuine smile.

"Not as happy as me!" She chimes. Shinra returns the smile before taking a large gulp of tea.

The duo began to talk about various things. They talked about America, they talked about Oolong tea, they talked about Celty and Shizuo, they even talked about Izaya. Shinra and Hakari had always hit it off, right from the very first time they met. It was never awkward between the two. None of them were sure why, exactly. Maybe it was the fact they were both equally weird. Perhaps it was just because they were both in love with "unnatural" people. Or maybe it was just because they were destined to be friends.

"It's getting late. I feel a little sleepy." Hakari says.

"Oh yes, why don't you go sleep in your old room?" Shinra suggests. "You can see Celty in the morning."

"Okay. Please, tell her I'm pumped to see her." Shinra nods at her. The woman stands up and begins to walk down the familiar hallway, her fingers brushing against the cool wall. At the end of the hall she approaches a black door.

Hesitant to open it, Hakari closes her eyes. Placing her hand on the cold wood, she pushes the door open. A wave of nostalgia hits her in the face as she steps into the small space, one foot at a time.

This was the room where her and Celty stayed up all night talking about "girl stuff". The room where Shizuo stayed at when he was injured, just so she could keep him company while he rested. The room where she felt she was safe from everyone, even Izaya.

Hakari sat on the bed, gently stroking the ripped comforter. A sad smile spreads across her face as she remembers the origin of the tiny rips.

* * *

><p>"<em>Calm down, Shizuo!" Hakari tried, shaking the man. Beads of sweat decorated Shizuo's head. His eyes were clenched together as he gripped the pink comforter underneath him. <em>

"_Gotta..kill him…" Shizuo muttered, shaking his head from side to side. Hakari panicked. She didn't know what to do. He was hurt and had a fever. Now a bad dream? At times like this, she really hated Izaya. Of course he was her friend, but Shizuo was more important to her. Not knowing what to do, Hakari wrapped her arms around Shizuo, knowing full well he could accidently swing at her and knock her out._

"_Shizuo, please calm down. It'll be okay, you'll get him someday. It's okay, calm down. Please, calm down." Hakari begged him. She held him tighter and continued to talk to him. She didn't notice Shizuo wake up ._

_He was confused as to why she was hugging him and trying to calm him down. Not knowing what to do, he wrapped an arm around her. The woman yelped in surprise. She looked up at him. Shizuo was staring at her in confusion. _

"_S-Shizuo. You're awake now." She stated. _

"_Thanks, Captain Obvious." The man simply replied. Not caring as to _why _anymore, Shizuo wrapped his other arm around her. He closed his eyes. Hakari followed suit, not really minding the tears in her comforter. The two drifted off into a soundless sleep. _

* * *

><p>A sigh escapes Hakari's mouth as she brought herself out of the memory. She spreads herself against the comforter, trying to remember the feel of Shizuo lying on her bed. Just like before, she drifts off into a soundless sleep.<p>

**Please,go ahead and point out any mistakes I've made. I'll try to fix them right away. **


	3. Mikado

**-DRUM ROLL- AAAAAND UPLOAD! Here we are a few days after Christmas! (because 13 days is a few days psssh) Anyway, sorry for the delay. Please enjoy!**

Dressed in the same clothes as the day before, Hakari walks out of her old room stumbling into the living room. The smell of delicious food being cooked encouraged her to drag herself out of bed.

"Good morning, Shinra," The woman yawns, rubbing at the sleep in her eyes. Before she could register what was happening, Hakari gets pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

"Ah, Celty!" Hakari yells, hugging the headless woman back with just as much force.

Celty releases the woman and immediately begins to type on her PDA. Hakari snatches the device, walking quickly towards the dining area.

"Questions later, Celty. I'm so hungry! Shinra's delicious cooking has woken me from my slumber, let me feast!"

Celty's shoulders began to shake with laughter as Hakari plops down in one of the chairs. Celty snatches the PDA back before taking her own seat across from her beloved friend. Celty began to type a quick message.

**Okay, but you better answer every last one of my questions or I won't let Shinra feed you ever again.**

A loud gasp escapes Hakari. "And here I thought we were friends!"

Shinra walks into the room carrying four plates of food, smiling like a lunatic.

"I'm sure Celty wrote something beautiful~" he squeals.

"More like friendship-breaking!" Hakari exclaims. This causes all three of them to laugh. Shinra lays one plate in front of his seat, then hands Hakari the other three.

"Thank you for this meal!" She calls.

**More like banquet… **Celty types out. Shinra chuckles.

"Ah, she wouldn't be Hakari without her appetite."

The rest of the meal was silent. Hakari prepared herself for the worse. Once they were finished eating, no doubt Celty was going to bombard her with questions.

The three finish and move towards the living room. Celty and Shinra make themselves comfy on the couch, while Hakari spreads out on the ground.

**Down to business, where the heck were you?! Don't you know how scared we were?! **

"Ah, I was voyaging!"

**Voyaging? Where and why?**

"You know, Celty, if you worry too much you'll give your head wrinkles," Hakari teases. Celty turns towards Shinra swiftly.

**!? **

Shinra chuckles at Celty's confused and worrisome response. Hakari took this time to slip past them. She makes it all the way to the front door, and picks up her pace once she's on the other side. She leaves the building completely, making her way out onto one of the busier streets.

"First thing on the agenda, Mikado." She says to herself aloud. "I wonder where he could be…" She walks down the busy street for a little while longer before running into someone all too familiar.

"Hakari!" Simon calls cheerfully. A giant smile stretches across the girl's face.

"Simon!" She calls in the same tone.

"You back! You will be eating sushi?" He asks.

"Definitely! But...not right now. I'm looking for someone."

"Oh, you look for Shizuo?" Hakari tenses at his name.

"No, not really." She says cheerfully.

"You no look for Shizuo? Are you mad at him?" Simon asks, his voice pure curiosity and his face pure worry.

"No, don't worry. I could never be mad at him. I'm just looking for someone else, maybe you've heard of him? He goes by Mikado."

"Oh, Kida's friend. I not see him today. Perhaps he is at school."

"Oh right, he's a high school student," Hakari says, pounding her fist into her hand gently. "I guess I just have to visit his school and get him."

Hakari waves to Simon and starts to walk away. After ten minutes of walking, Hakari comes to a complete stop, causing everyone behind her to also stop. The people behind her swear before stepping around her.

"I don't know where his school is…" She mumbles. She looks up to try and ask someone for directions,but then she remembers she doesn't know the name of his school either. "I'm sure Izaya said it the other day...but I can't remember…" She mumbled to herself aloud again.

"Talking about me?" A voice fills her ears. Hakari snaps out of her thoughts and looks up to see Izaya.

"Izaya! What are you doing here?" She asks, smiling.

"Hoping to bump into you, of course. I just happened to found you mumbling my name." He smirks.

"Oh yes, could you help me?" Izaya gave her a confused look.

* * *

><p>"I don't think this is allowed," Izaya says, amusement dancing through his voice.<p>

"It can't be helped. We'll just quickly talk, or arrange a meeting place," Hakari replies. The pair were walking down the halls of Raira Academy side by side, peering into each classroom they passed.

"What will you do if someone stops you?" Izaya asks, his usual smile planted across his face.

"Ah, Izaya. You'll just make him bald with your knife for me, won't you?" Hakari smiles. Izaya made a "Hum" noise.

"Sorry, you'll have to find your own way out of the situation."

"You're no fun," Hakari says, sticking her head into a classroom. "Ah, Izaya, he's here!"

The whole class turns their head to her. Hakari didn't know any of them, so she payed them no mind. Her eyes _did _notice a certain glasses girl looking her way.

"Mikado! Can I talk to you?" She asks. Crimson crept onto Mikado's cheeks as the whole class turned their heads towards him.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Someone standing in the front of the class asks. The teacher.

Behind Hakari, Izaya smiles with amusement. This girl never fails to amuse him.

"Miss, he can't just leave…" The teacher tries.

"We won't be long, maybe," Hakari assures.

"Maybe?! He needs to stay in class…" Hakari ignores the teacher's pleas and refocuses back onto Mikado. She urges him with her eyes, and he seems to notice. He slowly pushes his chair back and makes his way to her.

Hakari grabs his arm and pulls him out of the classroom, leading him down the hall, Izaya following them. Once they reached the end, Hakari smiles at Mikado.

"Hi, Mikado. How are you?" She asks.

"I'm fine...what do you want to talk about? I don't think I should have left class…" He eyes Izaya cautiously, not completely trusting either people in front of him. Hakari places a hand on his shoulder, sensing his fear.

"Don't be afraid of Izaya, I won't let him hurt you today."

"How mean," Izaya smiles.

"W-What did you want..?" Mikado stutters, not missing the "today".

"Have you ever heard of 'Solid Mask'?"

**If you see any mistakes, go ahead and point them out and I'll fix them asap! Perhaps Shizuo will make an appearance sometime soon!**


	4. Shit, Sushi, and a Doberman!

"Shit," Shizuo hisses. He raises his large hand, pushing the doorbell to the door in front him. "Shit, shit, shit, shit." He was getting impatient. The door slowly creaked open, revealing Shinra's face.

"Shizuo!" He exclaims. "I'm guessing you're here for Hakari! Well, you see…" Shinra continues to talk, going on about Hakari, but Shizuo wasn't paying attention. He pushes past Shinra and enters the apartment.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," He continues to mumble. Celty catches sight of him. She runs to him, trying to calm him down.

**Shizuo, calm down! She's not here! **Celty types.

"Where is she?" He asks, clenching his fists.

"We don't know. I tried to explain that to you at the door," Shinra explains. His arms were crossed and he was smiling thoughtfully at Shizuo.

"She left again?" This time Shizuo's voice was calm, but a hint of sadness laced itself through.

**We don't know….** Cely types. Shizuo grunts as he walks out of Shinra's building.

_I should have followed her yesterday, _ Shizuo tells himself. _But that damn flea..._

He walks down a busy street, ignoring everyone's frightened stares. Shizuo begins to get angry again as he thinks about Hakari. Not wanting his thoughts to wander, he pulls out a cancer stick and begins sucking the life out of it. "Shit." The sounds of people chit-chatting fills his ears. Laughter and random music dancing around him somehow calms him down. He continues to walk down the street, keeping his eyes locked on the ground.

"Shizuo! You eat sushi? Hakari will eat sushi later!" Simon's voice breaks through Shizuo's thoughts.

"Hakari will be eating here?" Shizuo asks, looking up from the ground. His heart began to beat fast, echoing in his head.

"Yes. She went to school, but said she'll eat later." Simon's huge smile was plastered on his face. He pushed a flyer towards Shizuo, but Shizuo just ignored his large hand.

_School?_

"What are you saying? She's twenty-one years old, she doesn't go to school."

"Ah, but Iz-" Simon begins, but gets cut off.

"Yo,Shizuo! I've been looking for you, man. Break is over."

Shizuo turns away from Simon to see Tom. The dread-locked man had a hand on his head as he gives Shizuo a worried look. "Thought you disappeared on me."

"Oh, hey. Sorry about that, Tom-san. Let's get going."

The pair walks away, Shizuo forgetting about Hakari and the school thing, since he didn't understand. Better to not trouble yourself with those kinds of things.

The work day went by rather slowly. Most of the people Tom and Shizuo confronted didn't have the money, which caused Shizuo to get very angry. The frustration with Hakari just made every little thing irritable. Not to mention the disgusting buildings they visited. Dust and shit everywhere. Literally.

"Well, today wasn't very successful," Tom says.

"Yeah," Shizuo agrees. The two walk into Russia Sushi, taking seats near the back.

"You seem a little more irritable today. Anything on your mind?" Tom asks, leaning back into the booth. He hangs an arm over the seat, resting his head on the other one.

"It's nothing," Shizuo mutters. Simon comes by and takes their order, then leaves them to eat. After a few minutes of silence, the door opens.

"Hakari!" Simon's voice echoes through the restaurant. Shizuo's heart begins to beat again. He stands up quickly, causing Tom to jump.

"Whoa, Shizuo. What's up?" He asks. Shizuo doesn't pay attention. He looks forward, eyes latching onto a woman with long, brown hair. She was wearing a black beanie and was holding a...Doberman?

"Oh! You bring puppy?" Simon asks her.

"Yeah! Isn't he cute?" She smiles that beautiful smile that Shizuo loves. The people around her give her weird stares. That wasn't uncommon. It used to happen to both Shizuo and her when they were younger.

"It looks scary," Simon admits. It was true. The small Doberman's nose is scrunched up. It shows its teeth as it growls, looking around. Its small ears were cropped upwards.

"Aw, he's not scary. He's adorable! I found him a little while ago walking back from my talk with Mikado. I'm going to feed him some sushi." The puppy growls at Simon as he reaches to pet him. Simon withdraws his hand, smiling nervously.

"Ah...yes. Sushi good, even for puppy." Simon leads the girl and the puppy to the back. Shizuo watches her, drowning out all sound except for her soft footsteps and the beating of his own heart.

"Hakari," He says calmly when she passes him. Hakari turns her head to the side and spots him.

"S-Shizuo…" She whispers. The puppy stops growling and looks at Shizuo also. It tilts its head. Shizuo unintentionally glares at Hakari, anger building up in him.

"Please don't look at me like that, I'm sorry," She says. She looks away from him. Shizuo widens his eyes for split second before looking away from her. He sits back down in his seat, making room for her. She gets the memo and sits beside him. Once she arranges the puppy onto her lap, it jumps down and makes itself comfortable between her and Shizuo. It then looks up at Tom and begins to growl. Tom nervously glances between Shizuo, the puppy, and Hakari.

"Don't growl, Puppy," Hakari says, petting its head. It stops instantly. Tom visibly relaxes. The woman orders some sushi before Tom greets her.

"Hello, I'm Tanaka Tom," He says with a small smile.

"Hello, my name is Muto Hakari. It's a pleasure to meet you, Tanak-san." Hakari says, her smile ten times bigger.

"Please, call me Tom. And, the pleasure is all mine. I didn't know Shizuo had such a pretty friend." Tom leans in, propping himself up on his elbows. Shizuo grunts. "How did the two of you meet?"

"He saved my dear friends," Hakari says.

"He did?" Tom raises an eyebrow at Shizuo.

"Yes. They were my only friends at the time. I don't know what I would have done."

Before Hakari could explain, Simon arrives with the sushi. The large, Russian man sets the two plates in front of the woman and the dog. They both immediately scarf down their food. Shizuo smiles lovingly at her as Tom stares at her in disgust.

"How did he save your friends?" Tom asks once she was done eating. "Were they really hurt?"

"Oh right, we were talking about that," Hakari says, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "They were _really _hurt. He put their heads back on," She says.

Tom gives her a confused stare.

"What?!"

Shizuo thinks back to their first encounter as Hakari retells the tale to Tom.

* * *

><p><em>5 year old Shizuo sat in his chair by the window. It was the beginning of the school year, and the desks were sorted by two, each pushed up against each other. The little boy looked at the desk beside him. <em>

"_Another person to scare off," He muttered. He rested his head in his hand as he gazed out the window. Moments later soft sobs came from the seat beside him. Shizuo quickly turned around, eyes wide. He didn't even notice someone sit down._

_He saw a girl, smaller than him, rubbing at her eyes. Her tears fell on the desk, causing a big pool to form. _

'_Crying because she has to sit with me?' Shizuo thought. He gulped. _

"_Why are you crying?" He asked, harsher than he intended. He winced at his own tone._

"_Some boys broke-" She started as she looked at him, but stopped once she saw who he was. Shizuo feared this the most. He braced himself, waiting for her scream. To his surprise, she smiled. Smiled very big._

"_You're Heiwajima Shizuo!" She exclaimed. Her eyes grew bright. Shizuo nodded stiffly. "You're really strong, right?" Her eyes twinkled with hope. Shizuo nodded again. _

"_Then, can you fix this?" She asked, holding up two Barbie dolls. Er, Barbie bodies. She laid them on the desk before bringing out their heads in her pocket. "I can't get them to stay." _

_Shizuo grabbed a Barbie body and a head. His little fingers began pushing the head onto the body, trying to use as little force as possible. He gasped when he accidentally pushed it too far, causing the Barbie's neck to disappear. Shizuo glanced at the girl with worry. _

_She was smiling. The tears had completely stopped._

"_You fixed it! Oh thank you, Shizuo! Can you do the other one?" Shizuo nodded again. He 'fixed' the other barbie. He handed the neckless dolls back to her. The girl jumped up and hugged him, making the little boy tense up. Fear rose in him at the unfamiliar contact. It soon subsided as he relaxed a bit. _

"_Let's be friends, Shizuo." Hakari let go of Shizuo and smiled once again, this time showing her teeth. Shizuo noticed that one of her front teeth were missing. _

"_Aren't I scary?" He asked. _

"_Why?" _

"_Well...I'm really strong…" Shizuo rubbed his arm. _

"_Shizuo, you aren't scary. You're really nice and adorable. No one else would fix my doll for me, so thank you!"_

* * *

><p>"Oh," Tom let's out a breath. "They were just dolls..."<p>

Shizuo glances at Hakari as she continues to talk to Tom. When she finishes, she looks at Shizuo too. Tom was smirking at the both of them.

"Sorry," She whispers. "I didn't mean to leave without saying anything. I had to-"

"None of my business," Shizuo cuts her off.

"Right…" She mumbles. An awkward silence found its way over the three people and the dog.

"So, you left?" Tom asks. This causes Hakari to blush in embarrassment.

"I did. I only left for a few years," Hakari rubs the back of her head.

"Five," Shizuo mutters.

"Right...five.." She looks away from the two men.

"And you knew Shizuo since you were five years old?" Tom asks, his voice filled with awe.

"Yes. I first fell in love with him when he fixed my dollies. Ever since I've always dreamed of marrying him," Hakari says, flashing Tom a pearly smile. Tom stares at her stunned. Shizuo did too, his mouth slightly agape. He knew she loved him, but he never knew she wanted to marry him.

"You sure are bold," Tom says, amusement in his voice. Hakari tilts her head at him, along with the puppy. "What are your thoughts, Shizuo?" Tom directs his attention towards his strong friend.

"Whatever," He mumbles, slightly annoyed. He wonders why Tom keeps interrogating Hakari. Perhaps he genuinely wants to understand. Something in Shizuo's mind doubts that though.

Honestly, he was happy to hear Hakarisay that. After five years of being apart, she still loves him. Of course he loves her too. Another awkward silence passes. The dog lifts its head as Simon comes by to collect the plates. It begins growling at him. He quickly leaves, afraid of the puppy.

"Poor puppy," Hakari says. She picks the puppy up and rubs her nose against its snout. The puppy licks her face happily.

"Aren't you afraid of that thing? That's a Doberman puppy, those things grow up to be pretty scary… It's actually scary right now." Tom says, giving Hakari a concerned look.

"Where'd you even find that thing?" Shizuo asks.

"I don't think he's scary. I think he's adorable." Hakari answers, ignoring Shizuo's question. No need to bring up Izaya in their reunion. She scoots closer to Shizuo, shoving the puppy in his face. The puppy just looks at Shizuo for awhile. Then, t slowly puts its paw on Shizuo's face and begins licking him. Shizuo tenses at first, but he soon calms down. "Do you think he's scary?" Hakari asks.

"No," Shizuo smiles at Hakari. "I don't."

**More on 'Solid Mask' in chapters to come! (Also, the puppy's origin. Stay tuned, even if it's just for him!) If you find any mistakes, please point them out and I'll fix them asap!**


	5. You're not going to like this

"What an amusing girl," Izaya smirks. The glow of the computer monitor shines on his face, creating an eerie look. The sounds of clicking echoes through the large room. Izaya looks down at his wounded hand, blood dripping on his desk. A soft knock came on the door, averting Izaya's attention from his injury.

"Come on in, Shinra," He calls. The door pushes open to reveal the quirky doctor.

"Hi, Izaya," Shinra greets. He makes his way to Izaya and begins to inspect his hand. "I still don't see why you couldn't come to my apartment. It was quite a hassle leaving Celty." This makes Izaya chuckle.

"Creepy as always. I had some business to take care of real quick. I didn't really have the time."

"Is this your only wound?" The doctor asks, gently lifting Izaya's hand closer to his eyes.

"No. There is a bullet in my arm." Izaya lifts his arm that was clicking away at the computer. Shinra's eyes widened.

"How on Earth did you get these injuries, Izaya?" He asks. The hurt man just smiled.

"Our dear friend Hakari."

Hakari and Shinra were the only people that Izaya could actually call 'Friends'. He wasn't in to friends, but they both forced themselves on him.

"What did she do?" Shinra asks, motioning for Izaya to take his shirt off. Izaya lifts up on his shirt as Shinra starts to take tools out of a small bag he carried in. Izaya begins to recall the past events to Shinra.

* * *

><p><em>"Hmm, do you think he'll show up?" Izaya asked the girl beside him. Hakari tugged on her hat, looking up at Izaya through her lashes.<em>

_"He said he would. He might not if you're with me, so perhaps you should sit this one out, Izaya," She says._

_"How mean. I want to know about Solid Mask too." A knowing smile crept onto Izaya's face._

_"I think you know more about it than me," Hakari smiles._

_"Maybe so." The two walked in silence for a few minutes until they passed an old alley._

_"What should we do? ," Karisawa Erika's voice echoed through. Izaya and Hakari stepped into the alley to see a familiar green van. Surrounded by the van were Erika, Yumasaki Walker, Dota-chin, and Togusa Saburo. In front of the van, an old man held a dog violently by its throat._

_Hakari gasped. This caused everyone to turn their attention to the pair that just showed up._

_"Hakari-san!" Erika exclaimed._

_"What's going on?" She asked. She took a step closer, Izaya following._

_"Step any closer and I'll choke it!" The old man shouted. The two stopped in their tracks._

_"He keeps threatening to kill it. We can't get any closer to him," Kyohei explains, not taking his eyes off the old man._

_"Is he senile?" Hakari asked. She looks at Izaya with a hopeless look._

_"We think so," Walker added. Izaya sighed, taking a step further._

_"I'm warning all of you!" The man yelled._

_"Listen, killing the dog doesn't affect me in the slightest, but it does affect my friend here. You can kill the dog," Izaya stepped even closer, narrowing his eyes. "But that still won't stop me from coming closer."_

_The man's eyes widened. He threw the dog to the ground, causing it to yelp. Hakari gasped, running towards the pup. Out of the corner of his eye, Izaya saw the man pull out a shiny object from his pants._

_In one quick movement, Izaya was at the side of the man, fighting for the gun. Somehow, the gun was fired. A sharp pain shot through Izaya's arm, but he ignored it. He pushed the man to the ground, snatching the gun. Izaya then walked up to him and started to jump on his back._

_"That was very flashy of you~" He sings. "Maybe next time you should try using a knife! They're much more fun~" With that, Izaya stepped off the man and rejoined Hakari, throwing Kyohei the gun._

_Kyohei barely caught it. He shoved the gun into his jacket, then he and Saburo grabbed the man, giving Izaya weird looks. They dragged him back to their van. Dota-chin nodded at Walker and Erika and let the two have their way with him. Hakari, who cradled the dog, grabbed Izaya's sleeve._

_"Are you okay, Izaya?" She asked, her voice filled with concern._

_"Don't think one of my humans can get the best of me," Izaya said, lifting his hand to pet the dog. It was a Doberman, he noticed. "He sure was a fun one." The puppy's head snapped up and bit Izaya's hand, squishing its sharp teeth in his flesh._

_"No, Puppy!" Hakari cried, prying its teeth from Izaya. This caused Izaya to erupt in laughter. It fortunately let go, cuddling closer to Hakari. Its stare never left Izaya, growling lowly at him._

_Izaya's hand throbbed. The alley had gone silent as everyone stared towards the two. Izaya smiled wickedly at Hakari._

_"You always go for the monsterous ones, don't you?" Droplets of blood dripped from Izaya's wound, causing everyone to widen their eyes. "I have some business to take care of at my office. I'll see you and Mikado later. I also have something to confirm with him." With a single wave, Izaya skipped his way through the alley, laughing maniacally, occasionally muttering something about how fun humans are._

* * *

><p>"You sure are strange, Izaya," Shinra comments. He was finishing up wrapping bandages around Izaya's arm<p>

"You're one to talk," Izaya says, smiling thoughtfully. Shinra puts on one more layer and allows Izaya to put his shirt back on. The doctor then wraps Izaya's hand quickly. When finished, he stands up and carries away the tray that was harboring the bullet. After washing his hands, he wanders back to Izaya.

"So, what is this 'Solid Mask'?" Shinra asks. Izaya rests his head on his hand as he smirks at Shinra.

"Now, why would I tell you that?" He asks.

"Well, I did just patch you up. Free of charge, might I add," Shinra smirks back, taking a chair in front of his friend.

"Indeed you did. Solid Mask is a gang, somewhat."

"Somewhat?" Shinra makes a confused face. Izaya sighs softly, spinning slightly in his chair.

"Yes, somewhat. They aren't official. Only a select few know about them," Izaya explains. "This group is also the reason our dear Hakari left us." Shinra looks down, focusing on his hands.

"She's caught up in them?" Sadness laced through Shinra's voice.

"Not exactly. I can't tell you anymore about them without further payment." Izaya leans back in his chair, smiling at Shinra.

"I see. One more question, this time asking as a friend. Who is 'Mikado' and why does Hakari want to meet with him? Is he part of Solid Mask?"

"I'll answer part of that as a friend. He is not in Solid Mask. All you need to know is that he's a simple high school boy that Hakari has taken an interest in."

"ROMANTICALLY!? What about Shizuo? They are supposed to live happily ever after together! How could-" Izaya sighs, grabbing a near by chess piece and tossing it at Shinra's head, causing him to shut up.

"She's not interested in him romantically, so don't worry your weird, little head. And I've mentioned this many times, but please don't speak Shizu-chan's name in my office. It gives the place a bad smell. I'm sure Hakari is still head over heels for that monster."

Shinra handed the chess piece back to Izaya, rubbing the spot that was wounded. "That's good. Just yesterday she was telling me she wanted to show him America, so no way could her heart change. Especially after all these years of being in love with him."

"America?" Izaya asks, his interest peaked. "What was she doing there?"

"Hm?" Shinra had diverted his attention to a small toy sitting in the corner of Izaya's desk. "Oh, she said she had to get away, so she went to America. But, I'm not sure if that's true since you said she left because of this 'Solid Mask'." Izaya picks up the toy, handing it to Shinra. Shinra gratefully takes it and starts inspecting it up close.

"Interesting," Izaya smirks.

* * *

><p>Shinra left a short while after his conversation with Izaya. When he got home, he heard Celty typing away at her computer.<p>

"Oh Celty!" Shinra calls. He walks into the living room to see Celty sitting on the ground, her computer at the coffee table. He reads over her shoulder. "Chatrooms again?"

**Yeah**, Celty types on the send bar of the chatroom. She quickly erases it as the computer made a 'pop' sound, signaling that someone has entered the chat.

**Kanra** has entered the chatroom

**Tarō Tanaka:** Good evening, Kanra.

**Setton:** Hello.

**Kanra:** Hiii! What are you guys talking about?

**Tarō Tanaka:** Oh..we were just talking about something called "Solid Mask". Have you heard of it, Kanra?

Shinra gasps, causing Celty to turn to him.

**What?** she types to the doctor.

"It's just that..I was talking about Solid Mask with Izaya just awhile ago," He explains, sitting on the ground beside her. "It's some kind of gang." The two look back towards the chat.

**Kanra:** No, I havent!

**Kanra:** What is it?

**Kanra:** Sounds scaaaary!

**Tarō Tanaka:** Yeah...I'm not sure what it is.

**Setton:** Why are you asking about it?

**Kanra:** oooh! Does Setton know something about it?

**Kanra:** Setton is so scaary!

**Setton:** ...That's not it. I don't know anything about it.

**Tarō Tanaka:** I was just curious, Setton. Anyway, what's up with you today, Kanra?

**Kanra:** Nothing special. Have you guys heard?

**Setton:** Heard what?

**Kanra:** Something big is happening in 'Bukuro!

**Tarō Tanaka:** H-How big?

**Setton:** What do you mean?

**Kanra:** Better watch out!

**Kanra** has left the chatroom

**Tarō Tanaka:** That was strange.

**Setton:** Yes, it was. I have to go. Later.

**Setton** has left the chatroom.

**What about Solid Mask did you find out?** Celty asks Shinra. Shinra smiles nervously.

"You're not going to like this…"

* * *

><p><strong>I would just like to say that I'm very thankful for the reviews, favorites, and follows. It means a lot to me, so thank you very much. The reviews were all very nice, and I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this story. ^-^<br>**

**If you see any mistakes, please go ahead and point them out. I promise to fix them ASAP.**


End file.
